What does interference mean?
Interference is the obstruction or disruption of an activity, process, or signal by an outside influence. In everyday use, it commonly refers to unwanted interference in someone's work, rights, or personal affairs, especially when caused by government, another person, or an unrelated event. The word can also carry the suggestion that someone is deliberately meddling, although not every case of interference is intentional. In physics, electronics, and telecommunications, interference describes the effect produced when waves, signals, or electromagnetic fields overlap. Their interaction may reinforce a signal, weaken it, or distort it, depending on the circumstances. The term is therefore useful in both social and scientific contexts: it can identify an obstruction to independent action while also naming a measurable phenomenon involving interacting waves.
The act of obstructing, disrupting, or impeding a process, activity, or right.
"The committee criticized the interference of federal officials in local decision-making."
The word often implies an unwanted intrusion, although it does not necessarily mean that the interference was deliberate.
The effect produced when waves, signals, or electromagnetic fields interact, especially by reinforcing or cancelling one another.
"The radio station reported interference caused by nearby electrical equipment."
In physics and electronics, this is a technical term and may describe either constructive or destructive interference.
The plural is uncommon in ordinary English but is used in technical and scientific contexts for distinct instances or patterns of interference.
"The researchers recorded separate interferences caused by the two nearby transmitters."
When two waves meet, they can create interference: sometimes the result is a stronger signal, and sometimes a weaker one.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does interference come from?
Interference comes from the Latin interferere, formed from inter- ('between' or 'among') and ferire ('to strike'). The word entered English in the early 17th century with the sense of striking or coming between, and later developed the meaning of obstructing or troubling. Many English words containing fer- relate to the same Latin verb, including confer, defer, infer, and refer.
Related word forms
How interference is actually used
In general use, interference often implies unwanted or improper involvement. In scientific contexts, it is a neutral technical term describing the interaction of waves or signals and can be constructive, destructive, or otherwise measurable.
Easily confused with interference
Interference is the resulting obstruction or disruption, whereas to interfere is the action of causing that obstruction.